Ask Mum Now – hints and tips and solutionshttp://www.askmumnow.com
Handy tips and hintsTue, 18 Dec 2018 20:48:03 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.9AskMumNowhttps://feedburner.google.comIn the Rose Garden for Decemberhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AskMumNow/~3/dJ-iQSTtvWQ/
http://www.askmumnow.com/in-the-garden/in-the-rose-garden-for-december/#respondTue, 18 Dec 2018 20:48:03 +0000http://www.askmumnow.com/?p=61979This is an excerpt from a post by Hayden Foulds of the New Zealand Rose Society on the Grownups site

Enjoy the blooms, either in the garden or bring a bunch inside. Remember take a bucket of water to the roses (not the other way around) and recut stems under water.

Dehead, dehead, dehead. Not only does the garden tidy, it also helps to encourage more blooms to be produced.

Water if the weather remains dry. Lack of water causes plants to get stressed and become susceptible to disease. When watering, one good deep soaking at the roots is better than a quick, light flick with the hose.

Keep the weeds at bay.

If you are on holiday, visit one of the many fine public rose gardens around the country and see what is looking good.

10 Benefits of Gardening with Kids

We have all heard that being outside in the fresh air has amazing health benefits. We have also heard that planting flowers can be therapeutic. But did you know that gardening has amazing developmental benefits for kids? Learn more at the Mommy University

]]>http://www.askmumnow.com/about-children/inexpensive-play/benefits-of-gardening-with-kids/feed/0http://www.askmumnow.com/about-children/inexpensive-play/benefits-of-gardening-with-kids/Herbs at your fingertipshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AskMumNow/~3/oNfrraFNRw4/
http://www.askmumnow.com/in-the-garden/about-herbs/growing-herbs/herbs-at-your-fingertips/#respondWed, 05 Dec 2018 21:44:34 +0000http://www.askmumnow.com/?p=61969I like to be able to cut herbs quickly and easily, and on wet days I prefer not to get too wet!.

So I have a hanging basket outside my kitchen window filled with basil. I put a lettuce plant in the centre for a bit of interest. In this way I had basil to hand all summer last year. I also have a window box with parsley. This year I will be planting chives and flat leaf parsley along with the curly leafed parsley.

I can reach out the window with scissors and cut whatever herb I want or cut a lettuce leaf or two.

]]>http://www.askmumnow.com/in-the-garden/about-herbs/growing-herbs/herbs-at-your-fingertips/feed/0http://www.askmumnow.com/in-the-garden/about-herbs/growing-herbs/herbs-at-your-fingertips/Give happiness, not stuffhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AskMumNow/~3/yFpUIzW09Xc/
http://www.askmumnow.com/money-matters/personal-financial-management/give-happiness-not-stuff/#respondSun, 02 Dec 2018 09:56:12 +0000http://www.askmumnow.com/?p=61974The countdown to the holiday season is on and we are heading into a time when people who love shopping can lose control of their finances. Overspending on gifts for others and on ‘stuff’ for the house has its roots in psychology. Liz Koh has some good advice here to help you keep your spending under control so you can enjoy the Christmas period without stressing over your finances

]]>http://www.askmumnow.com/money-matters/personal-financial-management/give-happiness-not-stuff/feed/0http://www.askmumnow.com/money-matters/personal-financial-management/give-happiness-not-stuff/Make a simple advent calendar for your familyhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AskMumNow/~3/dSTqBkUjPY0/
http://www.askmumnow.com/about-children/make-a-simple-advent-calendar-for-your-family/#respondThu, 29 Nov 2018 09:39:18 +0000http://www.askmumnow.com/?p=61962I made this for my grandchildren last year and they had so much fun. Its easy, inexpensive and a novelty.

You will need:

24 envelopes, red. green, white or a mix of each

24 sweets x number of children in the family, maybe chocolate Santas for day 24

4 metres of strong red string, or tinsel

Push pins

Christmas stickers (optional)

To make the calendar:

Take a black marker and write 1,2, 3, … 24 on the envelopes

Decorate the envelopes with Christmas stickers if you wish

Put one sweet per child in each envelope (so 3 children = 3 sweets in each envelope)

Seal the envelopes leaving a gap at the top

Thread the string through the envelopes, they don’t need to be in date order. It’s more fun if the children have to look for the envelope each day.

Attach the string of envelopes to a wall or fireplace with push pins. Make sure the pins are securely attached. You may need two or more strings, depending on the space you have.

Sit back and watch the fun each day as the children open up their advent calendar and enjoy

If you don’t want to give sweets, put small gifts in the envelopes, or make a note about some fun activities you can do with the children each day or a promise after Christmas. You could also do a mix of these.

]]>http://www.askmumnow.com/about-children/make-a-simple-advent-calendar-for-your-family/feed/0http://www.askmumnow.com/about-children/make-a-simple-advent-calendar-for-your-family/Money Management for Newlywedshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AskMumNow/~3/d5iet53IpWU/
http://www.askmumnow.com/money-matters/personal-financial-management/money-management-for-newlyweds/#respondSat, 10 Nov 2018 02:34:31 +0000http://www.askmumnow.com/?p=61956Relationships aren’t like they used to be a generation or two ago. The path to a ceremony is a more gradual one, with couples typically living together beforehand and sharing expenses. Women, through both necessity and choice, continue to earn an income after marriage and are confident in managing their own money.

]]>http://www.askmumnow.com/in-the-kitchen/recipes/dinner/easy-winter-dinner-2/feed/0http://www.askmumnow.com/in-the-kitchen/recipes/dinner/easy-winter-dinner-2/Money togetherness – your relationship with moneyhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AskMumNow/~3/3FxbsAEVBXg/
http://www.askmumnow.com/money-matters/personal-financial-management/money-togetherness-your-relationship-with-money/#respondFri, 02 Nov 2018 02:00:12 +0000http://www.askmumnow.com/?p=61948Your relationship with money is often a reflection of who you are as a person and how you interact with the world.

If you are by nature a cautious person, you will probably be very careful with your money.

Likewise, if you are a go-getting risk taker in life, chances are you will take risks with your money.

The way in which money is managed within a relationship often reflects how committed the relationship is and how the two people concerned have dealt with their individual differences in their relationship with money.

]]>http://www.askmumnow.com/money-matters/personal-financial-management/money-togetherness-your-relationship-with-money/feed/0http://www.askmumnow.com/money-matters/personal-financial-management/money-togetherness-your-relationship-with-money/Quick and easy dinner menuhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AskMumNow/~3/MZGVkShAbbQ/
http://www.askmumnow.com/in-the-kitchen/recipes/dinner/quick-and-easy-dinner/#respondWed, 31 Oct 2018 02:06:16 +0000http://www.askmumnow.com/?p=61950Here is a quick and easy dinner suggestion for you when you come home after a long day at work; or at the weekend when you’ve been in the garden or at the beach all day. It can fast become a firm favorite with all the family, or flatmates, or whoever else you have in your household – even visitors will love it.

Macaroni and mince bake is a one-dish dinner that can be dressed up with a salad on warmer days or with a range of your favorite cooked vegetables when the weather is cooler. The main dish can also be prepared ahead of time and kept in the fridge will your ready to reheat and eat.

Because this takes around one hour to cook, it will be best to prepare this earlier in the day or when you first start preparing dinner so it is ready to eat after the main course.

Both dishes need to use the oven so make sure your oven is large enough to fit both, especially if you need them to be in the oven at the same time. IF yo have a fan bake oven there shouldn’t be a problem as you can use two shelves.

]]>http://www.askmumnow.com/in-the-kitchen/recipes/dinner/quick-and-easy-dinner/feed/0http://www.askmumnow.com/in-the-kitchen/recipes/dinner/quick-and-easy-dinner/Good investment advice – how to find a financial adviserhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AskMumNow/~3/Sibi5orjdG4/
http://www.askmumnow.com/money-matters/personal-financial-management/61939/#respondSat, 27 Oct 2018 01:52:04 +0000http://www.askmumnow.com/?p=61939One of the barriers to people working with a financial adviser is knowing who to talk to. The relationship between an adviser and a client is founded on trust and it takes time to develop. There is an element of risk in putting your trust in someone when you don’t know them that well, but there are some signals that can indicate whether you are talking to the right person.